Add Emoji Keys To The Default iPhone Keyboard With QuickEmoji

iOS really values emoticons, and that is why there is a separate, comprehensive Emoji keyboard in the OS. If you aren’t too big of an Emoji fan, though, chances are you have never bothered to enable the Emoji keyboard in iOS. It is a rather strange omission on Apple’s part that by default, there is no indication that iDevices have such a vast stash of emoticons hidden in keyboard settings. QuickEmoji is a new Cydia tweak that makes iPhone Emoji a whole lot more accessible than they originally are. With this tweak, five of the keys on the keyboard are permanently replaced by Emoji shortcuts. The good thing is that the keys replaced by QuickEmoji (all keys in the third row from top in symbol view) are virtually redundant, as they appear twice in the default (QWERTY) keyboard layout – once in the number view, and again in symbol view. This essentially integrates Emoji with the keyboard, eliminating the need for a persistent button and separate keyboard for Emoji. The tweak also supports AZERTY, QWERTZ and HEBREW layouts.

Everything about QuickEmoji makes sense. The keys replaced are pretty much redundant, so you won’t be losing any functionality. The replaced keys work like all other keys on the iOS keyboard. Tap them once, and the character on the key gets printed; hold down on them, and you will be shown a whole list of Emoji like to the one you long-pressed. For example, long-pressing the first or last one (from the left) will bring up regular emoticons, the second is for weather and other related articles, and the third one, for animals.

The Emoji offered by QuickEmoji do not account for all those provided by vast built-in Emoji keyboard, but that is not what the tweak is all about. The idea is to provide users with a fast and permanent alternative for adding Emoji to their conversations, without having to bear cluttering their keyboards with the icon that appears beside the space bar after the native Emoji keyboard is enabled. If, after you’ve installed the tweak, you feel you won’t be needing the native Emoji keyboard anymore, launch the Settings app, navigate to General > Keyboard > International Keyboards, tap Edit and delete Emoji from the list.

QuickEmoji doesn’t come with a toggle or any sort of customizable options. It takes effect immediately after it is installed and the SpringBoard is restarted. It is a free Cydia tweak available in the BigBoss repository.